Fewer than one in five voters back Alistair Darling’s promise to cut tax on Britain’s corporate giants as soon as he can find the funds, according to a new survey by the TUC.

The Chancellor has repeatedly made clear that reducing business taxes will be a priority, just as soon as he has the fiscal room to do so. But the TUC argues that the Treasury has fallen victim to a concerted lobbying campaign by multinationals.

In a survey of more than 2,000 people, carried out by YouGov, just 18 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement ‘the government is right to reduce tax on the profits of large companies’.

Brendan Barber, the TUC’s general secretary, said: ‘Corporate Britain is waging a big campaign to pay less tax. But the rest of us should be on our guard. If business gets its way it will mean higher taxes for the rest of us, cuts in public services or a retreat from anti-poverty targets.’

He added: ‘Big companies are playing the same card across the world – threatening to quit countries unless their tax is slashed. The UK should stop pandering to this cynical game and start working with other governments to call the corporations’ bluff.’